High School Hearts
by Pearl Drop Angel
Summary: What will Sana's life be like when she and the crew enter high school?


DISCLAIMER: Ok, here I am again writing a Kodocha fanfic. The only reason that I'm doing this is that I just finished writing the second chapter of On the Wings Of the Tiger, my Ranma ½ fanfic, but as I was saving it, my PC decided to make my life that much harder and deleted the ENTIRE file for me, and since I'm too lazy to go back and write the whole 13 pages again (specially since now I don't remember exactly how I wrote it) I decided to put down this idea that I've had baking up in my head since the Kodocha show ended here in Italy (now if only they'd get down to publishing the manga I'm sure I'd write much more than this…but hey! What can I do?). Anyway, you know the drill, most of the main characters here are Obana Miho's and I'm just borrowing them for now. I'll return all of them except for Hayama and Naozumi (they're too cute, so they stay with me, k?)

On with the fic

High School Hearts (yes, it's a cheesy name, but I can't come up with anything better at the moment, if you have a better suggestion I'd like to be informed, thanx)

Prologue

"Good day, everyone! I'm Melanie Mel (*_*') and welcome to "Star Struck", the only program on which stars can be discussed 100% rumour free. Today we will discuss the much argued topic of Sana Kurata's decision to go to a public high school. To help clear the mists on this matter she will be here in our studios in a few moments, in the meantime there will be a short clip showing her in all her parts, from her character in Kodomo No Omocha to commercials, made-for-TV-movies, and box office hits," the announcer with the nose two sizes to big for her face said confidently in front of the camera.

Meanwhile backstage:

"Okay, Sana. Remember don't be too forward. You have to appear professional. This is the news, all of Japan will be watching you live and prime time just to get an improvised response from you, so you have to be careful," Rei declared, trying to sound like what he thought was a good manager but was more like an overprotective mother (of course, the real and under-protective mother was out somewhere having fun and avoiding Honda-san because her manuscript wasn't ready yet ^_^').

"Oh, come on Rei-kun, don't worry about me, I'll do my best," Sana said cooly as the make-up artist put on the last touch of powder to her nose.

"There, now you're ready," said the young woman, who's name was Betty, and who had enjoyed doing Sana's make-up more than anyone else she'd ever met.

"Thank-you, Betty! Well, I'm off," Sana said as she turned toward the small stage.

"Hey," said a hard voice from behind them. The sound of it froze Rei to the bone, while it melted the young actress' heart. "Don't worry about professional. Just be yourself. That's what they want," continued the dark blond with the steely expression.

"Okay, thanks, Akito," Sana said happily with a faint blush painting her cheeks and a smile warmer than the sun. As she walked on stage and took her seat in front of the microphone Akito Hayama's expression changed just the slightest bit into something very akin to gentleness. Rei, as dumb as he may seem at times, is a very good manager and observant of people, and didn't let this little note pass him.

Closing his eyes he thought, S_ana is the only one that can drag an expression out of him_. _I don't know if that's a good thing or not._ And with that he opened his eyes and nearly jumped out of his skin. Akito was standing about two inches away from him with a very menacing mask on. Rei froze in his position with arms out in the air and standing only on his big left toe, and sweated. He stayed that way for 2:57 minutes until Akito backed away from him and turned his attention to Sana who was watching herself in the montage of her acting life displayed on the big screen behind her.

After studying her happy, reminiscing face, he, too, turned his attention to the screen. Sana at five years old on Kodocha, Sana in an ice-cream commercial, in her math learning videos, the movie that helped change his family life, and…the movie in which she starred with the pretty-boy Naozumi. He couldn't help but notice that her face had darkened a little at seeing her old boyfriend; not much, or not noticeably enough for anyone, but enough for him to take notice. What was she thinking?

"Hello, Sana, welcome. I see you really enjoyed that videoclip," said snout-woman.

"Thank you, and yes, I did! It brought back a lot of memories," Sana said smiling broadly and completely hiding whatever thought had bothered her.

"I'm sure it did, but we have to get back on subject as we have limited time. Now, you are fifteen years old, you've been in show business for over ten years now and you've made yourself very famous working in theatre and television, and acting in roles that represented you as a child. Now, though, you're growing up into a beautiful girl with a great figure and boys look at you in a much different way than before, what do you think about that?" Big-nose-woman asks. Well, this was an unexpected question as Akito's eyes went wide and Rei fell face down on the ground and ate some of the pavement. Betty brought her hand to cover her mouth, but Sana seemed unaffected.

"Well, that's a bit of a personal question but I don't really think that boys are really interested in me like that. Sure, I've had a couple of bad cases with fans and such, but that was only a few aggressive letters. As for everyone else I think they still look at me as that crazy girl that never keeps her mouth shut and makes people laugh," she said giggling a little bit at the end of her statement.

"Yes, that could be so, but why did you get a bodyguard, then?" This question surprised Akito so much that he actual made a grunting sound (that was only audible with a super-powered microphone attached to huge amplifiers) and Rei began to cry rivers and tear at his hair.

"Well, Rei-kun, my manager, insisted that I have someone capable to protect me after we received the first unusual letter, so my friend Ak…Hayama watches over me when I go to work or somewhere by myself. That's not really a bodyguard if you ask me," Sana says waving off the offending question as if it were nothing.

"As my notes result, this friend of yours, Hayama Akito, is going to frequent your school, is in your class, and is a second degree black belt in karate," ski-slope-nose points out.

"Wow! I didn't know we were going to be in the same class! Cool!" Sana exclaims as she clapped her hands.

"Yes, well, you weren't supposed to find out either, but that's irrelevant. There is the fact that he's a second degree black belt in karate," the eagle-beaked woman repeated, and Sana looked like she had absolutely no clue as to what she was talking about. "So you do not consider him a bodyguard?"

"No, not at all. He's just a good friend that watches over me and who just happens to know karate. He's always been sort of my unofficial defender ever since we became friends, and that was before he began learning karate, too. The only difference since Rei asked him to watch out for me is that now he comes to work with me too and he gets a sort of allowance for it," Sana explained and the woman looked extremely angry at the fact that she was dodging all the embarrassing questions with unexpected ease.

"Well, do you think it right to go to a public school when you're receiving harassing letters from your fans and have to have a bodyguard with you?" the woman asks accusingly.

"Why wouldn't it be right? I like going to school. It's a place where there's interaction, with teachers and students, and I learn better there, where things can clearly be explained to me, than I do at home reading from a book. Every one that's under the spot light as much as I am receives strange letters at one point of their career but that's not important. School is a place with lots of people in which is highly unlikely that I'll ever be alone with scary company, and I repeat that Hayama, al least to me, is not a bodyguard, and even if he was, I don't see how it would bother anyone," Sana said, still with that broad smile on her face, within herself so happy to be doing this interview so well.

"Yes, well," the reporter said in a very tight voice, "I'm told that the phone lines are going crazy with fans wanting to speak with you, would you like to accept some calls?" the woman said trying not to let herself look too pinched.

"She's mad because she's never received a phone call from a fan in all her career," Betty whispered to Hayama. "I tell you, boy, that girl's special, and if I were you I wouldn't let her get away," she implied, and went off to pack her make-up case. Hayama just raised his left eyebrow at her.

"Yes, I love to speak to fans," Sana exclaimed, answer Melanie Mel's question.

"Um…hello?" said a deep, insecure voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi, there! What's your name?" Sana asked eagerly.

"I'm…Takashi. Sana, I think you're beautiful," answered he, as she blushed slightly.

"Oh, thank you, that's very sweet, Takashi."

"Yeah, I also think that it's really cool that you want to keep going to public school because most other famous people think themselves too good to stoop down to our level, but can I ask you a kind of personal question?" The guy asks very hesitantly.

"You can ask, and I'll see if I can answer," Sana replied, clearly not guaranteeing one.

"Um…yeah, is there some kind of romantic thing going on between you and this Hayama guy?" the guy asks and makes Sana extremely uncomfortable as she face faults to the ground with the blue hanging curls of doom hanging over her head.

"Well, that's a very personal question, but I don't have any romantic relationships in my life right now, and I don't think it would be a good idea to start one either since I'll be very busy with work in the next few months and school will take up that little time that my work won't," Sana said after picking herself up and positioning herself in front of the camera but forgetting to take down the blue hanging curls of doom or even the face faulted expression (and looking all around quite dumb and unattractive) (.).

"Well, that's all the time we have for today. Thank you, Sana, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come and visit us, and thanks to Takashi for his...rather upfront phone call. I'll see you next week at the same time to talk about Zenjiro's new love story," said Melanie Mel before all the spotlights were turned off and the regular ceiling lights were turned on. Then she got up from her chair and went directly to her dressing room without a word.

Sana didn't like this and more blue hanging curls of doom hovered about her head as she mumbled something about it being rude to ask such questions and disappearing without saying at least ONE nice thing.

"SANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Why did you let yourself get taken by surprise like that? What happened to professionaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalll?" Rei said bawling on hi knees in front of Sana and saying all kind of things about losing important jobs that way.

"I think she did great, and nobody can blame her for reacting like that to a question like that, and anyway, she's kind of expected to act like that," Betty came in and began to take off Sana's make-up.

"What do you mean?" Rei asked up on his feet and looking like not one tear had fallen down his cheek.

"Well, that's how people have always seen her in Kodocha. And she always reacts like that to questions that bother her on other interviews, so people won't take notice of it for long. I think within a couple of days nobody will remember anything," Betty replied. "And besides," she continued, "nobody's ever managed to survive the 'Wicked Witch of The West's questions so easily, and I'm sure most of the talk about today will be for the most part positive."

Of course, both Sana and Akito knew that she was lying through her teeth, but anything was better than Rei's desperation.

"All right!" Rei yelled. "If people talk well about Sana then they'll want to see her more, and she'll get more jobs, and more money, and she'll become famous and my name will be brought down in history as the best manager in the world!" He exclaimed as he stood proudly with his arm raised in front of a starred background that blinked different colors.

"Let's just go home," Akito said as he grabbed Rei from the collar of the shirt and began dragging him while the fake background behind where Rei was standing fell down with a loud THUMP in a cloud of dust.

In Rei's car:

Rei is in the front seat driving and babbling about making Sana famous (and himself), while Sana and Akito are in the back seat not saying a word to each other.

Sana was trembling slightly.

_What do I do now? I really made a big mess this time._

Sana felt heavy warmth around her shoulders, and looked up to see Akito looking out the window with his arm around her, feeding her the physical warmth that somehow always soothed her soul.

"Akito..."

"You were shivering. How are you going to do that photo shoot on the beach tomorrow if you get a cold?" he asked indifferently not taking his eyes off the passing scenery.

"Thanks," Sana said quietly, _even if that's not the reason why I was shivering._ And with that thought she trembled all the more. "I'm sorry, Aki. I'm really sorry," she said, curling into the warmth that he offered with his body (and the perverts better not get any ideas with this last comment, this is a G rated chapter).

"Wha..."

"I said your name on national TV during prime time. Now you're going to be attacked by reporters. Especially since that Takashi guy asked that question and we're going to be in the same class and everything," the young girl explained as she neared tears. Hayama looked at her with unmasked sweetness (people we must treasure this moment for it does not happen often). But he hid it before she could notice and began speaking with the same deep and almost menacing tone-not that she could ever take it as menacing, since he never meant for it to be that way...at least for her.

"Don't worry about it. It's not the first time you talk about me on TV, remember? And at least this time you didn't tell the whole country that I'm a delinquent boss monkey. And it doesn't matter if journalists come after me..." he replied to her, soothing her fears in part, "...besides, I'm glad we're in the same class again," he finished, banishing any doubt that was left in the heart of the girl safely resting within his embrace.

_His voice has gotten deeper..._ Sana observed in her thoughts, _and he got more muscular, too_, she added as she snuggled into his chest. "I'm really glad we're together again, too," she replied as she felt her eyelids become heavy and a sheet of sleepiness fall over her head.

Hayama turned to look at the sleeping girl he held, and, softening his expression (just the slightest bit, to actually be considered an expression), leaned down and kissed her hair.

Rei's eyes, that had seen the whole thing through the rear-view mirror, clouded over in deep thought, wondering what he should do and feel about this growing situation.

FIN...for now! ^_^

Author's notes:

Why am I not able to write this the way I want to? I wanted it to be more original flavour, but I can only seem able to write either extremely sweet or extremely angsty. Oh, well. (*_*') Yes, I realized that calling the talk show lady 'Melanie Mel' was really pretty stupid, but at the moment I didn't have anything better in mind.

Anyway. This is written after the end of the anime. For those who have not seen the last episode, or at least the last couple of series this might have been a bit confusing, so below I'll list a couple things that will help you understand a bit better the storyline...but BEWARE! They're all **spoilers**.

1) Sana and Naozumi got together right before coming back to Japan from working on their musical, but he broke up with her right about the same time Fuuka broke up with Hayama because he thought she was still in love with the cute blondie. This would be the reason why she's so malancholy after seeing the scenes from the movie she did with him, and also the fact that while he broke up with her with a serene smile on his face might have something to do with it O_o'

2) Sana managed to get in the same class as Hayama because-after some bad rumours about her becoming a stuck-up brat after her success on Broadway-she doesn't receive any job offers and the only part she can find is that of both the student and teacher in a math learning video and is therefore forced to understand math, so thanks to this she becomes a better student. Even if at that time she was still not up to Hayama's level I would think that after about nearly two years she would have gotten better (just my opinion though).

3) And this is the BIG SPOILER: in the last episode of the series Sana and Hayama don't get together but (after a sweet kiss and a painful hit to Hayama's head) only promise to say something to each other if he passes the test the next day to become black belt (at least this was how it ended in Italy, and knowing how they censor every little detail down here it might not have truly been this way). I decided to make the story like this thinking that after Hayama got the belt they found themselves face-to-face and unable to say what they wanted to.

I think this sums it all up, but if you have question, praises, suggestions, flames, or anything you want to send to me: CONTACT ME at my address: [Robbygal@hotmail.com][1]

For all of those wonderful people that bothered reviewing me on Fanfiction.net, thank you, and I'll be answering all your reviews from now on (sorry if so late, but I've been REALLY busy).

Thank You

Pearl Drop Angel

Aka Roberta Jeanne Gallucci

   [1]: mailto:Robbygal@hotmail.com



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